Hegseth doesn’t answer question about how much longer could last or cost

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked by Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan on Wednesday, “How many more months, just by order of magnitude, do you think that you’re going to need to be able to conclude operations successfully?”

Houlahan continued, “And how many more billions of dollars do you think you’re going to ask this body for?”

Hegseth said the U.S. military would never tip its hand to an adversary about how long it would be committed to the mission.

Hegseth was also questioned over the costs of war for Americans, with Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, asking: “Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war?”

“I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb,” Hegseth said.

Khanna accused Hegseth and the Trump administration of failing to live up to the president’s campaign promises of lowering the cost of living for Americans. He argued that Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would cause American households to pay thousands more dollars for gas and food.

“I’m sad for all the people who voted for Trump. I’m sad for them because you betrayed them,” Khanna said.